NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — As a teenager, Miranda Lambert listened at the dinner table as her grandmother, mother and friends traded gossip, life lessons and East Texas stories.
Those conversations overheard over plates of enchiladas and banana pudding became the inspiration for Lambert’s Grammy-winning musical career, teaching him the art of storytelling and entertaining at the same time.
“Some of my first songs were written about some of the stories they were going through,” Lambert said. “I hadn’t lived it yet, but I really absorbed that.”
After nearly two decades in country music and at the height of her career as one of the most awarded country artists, Lambert is sharing those recipes, and the stories behind them, from her family and friends in a book called “Y’ Is everyone still eating? Welcome to the Pretty B(asterisk)tchin’ Kitchen.”
“It’s very important to surround yourself with people who celebrate the good times and support you in the bad,” he said. “The House That Built Me” singer. “That’s what this whole book is about.”
The book, now available from the HarperCollins imprint Dey Street Booksis equal parts Lambert family memoir, a guide to Texas-style entertaining, and a cookbook for church potlucks.
Get to know Lambert’s grandmother, “Nonny,” his mother, “Bev,” and all of their quaint friends through the recipes they swapped and shared: the famous meatloaf that often leads to wedding bells, the cupcakes of whiskey and the bar of potini (mashed potatoes). in a martini glass with all the fixings). She also teaches the tricks of glamping in her Airstream travel trailer and zipping down the Guadalupe River, and her father gives an introduction to seasoning a cast iron skillet to perfection.
“Life on the road is tough, so it makes it that much more special when you have a home-cooked meal,” Lambert said. “It’s such a triggering memory. It’s like a perfume or a song.”
Lambert has a lot to celebrate as she heads to the Academy of Country Music Awards on May 11 as the reigning artist of the year. She is already the most awarded artist in ACM history and she’s up for first prize againas well as breaking another record with her seventeenth nomination for female artist of the year.
“I didn’t really celebrate with everyone when I won last year, so this will be like, ‘Hooray! Who’s going to get it next?’” Lambert said of the awards show, which will take place in Frisco, Texas, this year. “I’m so excited that he’s in Texas and I’m continually grateful for this community and family of country music that has lifted me up all these years and still votes for my records and recognizes my work.”
She is now also a highly sought after free agent after leaving her Sony Music Nashville record label this spring. She was just 19 when she signed with the record label and debuted her first Sony record, “Kerosene,” in 2005.
“It’s a very different landscape than it was when I started,” Lambert said, but noted that he already has some collaborations in the works.
“It feels great to be free and just step back and take a deep breath and let creativity guide the decisions,” Lambert said of her future musical plans.
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Online: https://www.mirandalambert.com/
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